October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4Caribbean Water and Sewage Association Inc.

The Atlantic Basin also experienced an above-average hurricane season for a third consecutive year with a total of 19 storms, with 10 reaching hurricane status, the most notable being Sandy,

which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and the US East Coast. Temperatures in 2012 were the ninth highest on record since 1850, despite the effect of La Niña, a me-teorological phenomenon that is supposed to have a cooling influ-ence on the Earth’s atmosphere, says a new United Nations report released on Wednesday. High temperatures were ac-companied by unprecedented melting of the Arctic sea ice and multiple weather and climate ex-tremes which affected many parts of the world. The findings are among the highlights of the provisional UN World Meteorological Organi-zation (WMO) statement on the state of the global climate, which provides an annual snapshot of weather and climate events around the world. The report, which is based on three global temperature sets, was released at the last UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qa-tar, where thousands of represen-tatives from governments, inter-national organizations and civil society are meeting to advance ways to cut global carbon emis-sions and pollution.

“Naturally occurring climate variability due to phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña impact on temperatures and precipitation on a seasonal to annual scale, but they do not alter the underlying long-term trend of rising temperatures due to climate change as a result of human activities,” said WMO secretary-gener-al Michel Jarraud. “The extent of Arctic sea ice reached a new record low. The alarming rate of its melt this year highlighted the far-reaching changes taking place on Earth’s oceans and biosphere. Climate change is taking place before our eyes and will continue to do so as a result of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have risen constantly and again reached new records,” he added. Notable extreme events were observed world-wide during the period of

January–October 2012, the report stated, includ-ing heat waves in North America and Europe, drought in the United States, China, Brazil and parts of Russia and Eastern Eu-rope, floods in the Sahel region, Pakistan and China, and snow and extreme cold in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The Atlantic basin also experienced an above-average hurricane season for a third consecutive

year with a total of 19 storms, with 10 reaching hurricane status, the most notable being Sandy,

which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and the US east coast.

East Asia was severely impacted by powerful typhoons, the biggest one being Sanba, which im-

pacted the Philippines, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, affecting thousands of people

and causing millions of dollars in damage.

In March 2013, WMO will publish final up-dates and figures for 2012 in its annual state-ment on the status of the global climate.

2012 Was Among Hottest Years On Record!What does this mean for Caribbean water in 2013?

—In ThIs Issue—The Green Economy Page 2 Secretariat News Page 3 St. Lucia Water Rates Fact Sheet Page 5 CAWASA 2012 AGM Pages 6 and 7

Water in China Page 9 Minister says world can tap into China’s water management Page 11 Successful Wastewater Treatment Plants Workshop Back Page

e-SourcePage 2 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

CAWASA Inc. concluded another successful year in 2012, during which affiliates and the col-lective entity navigated stormy seas and sailed calm waters – meeting challenges while taking care of members’ business, whatever the climate, however it changed. The last year (2011-2012) saw CAWASA add two potential Associate Members to our member-ship list: Cole Engineering and the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority (VIWMA) both applied for membership, which applications [are being/were given] positive consideration. Three training activities were hosted during 2012: One for “Human Resource Training” for 30 Non-Human Resource Managers took place in Grenada September 13 and 14, 2011 led by the CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte. An-other followed – also in Grenada – for 16 partici-pants in “Procurement and Inventory Manage-ment”, this time from October 20 to 21, 2011, led by Denis Lorde. The third training activity was a “Management Change” workshop held in Anti-gua June 18 to 19, 2012 for 30 participants, led by the CAWASA Executive Director. During the year under review, Executive Di-rector Poyotte also represented CAWASA at the 20th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) held in Guadeloupe from October 2 to 7, 2011. That con-ference coincided with the island’s 10th annual celebration of “The Water Days”. Programme Officer Suzanne Joseph also repre-sented CAWASA at the 25th Annual Conference of the Association of the Board of Certification (ABC) held in TAMPA, Florida from January 17 to 21, 2012. During the meeting she made a presentation on the topic “Overcoming Operator Certificate Renewal Challenges in a Caribbean Multi-island Environment”. In the area of Operator/Analyst Certification, nine persons sat the certification exams in “Water and Wastewater” on November 25, 2011 studying “Water Distribution, Water Laboratory, Waste-water Treatment and Wastewater Collection”. Another ten persons successfully sat another similar exam on June 25, 2012 covering similar subjects. A third exam – this one specifically for “Wastewater Treatment” -- was held in Trinidad for 18 persons on March 25, 2012, while another 12 persons also sat a similar exam in July 2012. During the Financial Year just ended (2011-2012), some 38 Operators/Analysts renewed their certificates, while 21 renewed theirs by the end of June 2012. The Small Scale Financing facility with UNEP continued throughout 2012, involving a baseline study and LBS Protocol, with CAWASA also working on a related technical exchange pro-gram. CAWASA also in 2012 continued its work on presentation of a common Model Sector. The year ended with the successful staging in St. Lucia of three major regional CAWASA events: an Operational Assessment Workshop took place December 3 and 4, 2012; CAWASA’s 2012 Annual General Meeting was held on De-cember 4, 2012; and CAWASA’s Stakeholders Conference took place on December 5, 2012. (All three events are fully covered in this the final is-sue of e-Source for 2012). The CAWASA Secretariat is also pleased to have concluded another year of successfully meeting the needs and promoting the interests of our affiliates at home, in the region and beyond -- and we surely look forward to continuing to serve all the best we can in 2013.

VICTOR POYOTTEExecutive Director

FROm tHe Desk OF tHe executive DiRectOR

CAWASA concludes

another successful year

Effective management of wastewater in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) has for several decades been, and remains, a significant challenge faced by the region. Regional governments have long recognized that land-based sources of pollution from municipal, in-dustrial and agricultural sectors and their negative impacts on marine resources are a threat to the re-gion’s economic development and the quality of life of its people. Recent studies have shown that untreated sewage is one of the major threats to public health and the Region’s rich biodiversity and is the result of rapidly expanding urban populations, poorly planned devel-opment, and inadequate or poorly designed and mal-functioning sewage treatment facilities. As a result:• 85% of wastewater entering the Caribbean Sea re-

mains untreated• 51.5% of households lack sewer connections• Only 17% of households are connected to accept-

able collection and treatment systems. With respect to biodiversity, the study found that sewage was one of the main factors that had caused approximately 80% of living coral in the Caribbean to be lost over the past twenty years. The high rates of pollution also negatively impact the fishing industry and the tourism sectors. In evalu-ating the underlying reasons for this persistent prob-lem, studies have shown that there are three significant challenges: inadequate policy and legal framework, insufficient financing and the low priority placed on waste water treatment. The WCR suffers from a dearth of integrated stra-tegic policy instruments and supporting laws and regulations to effectively and sustainably manage the wastewater sector.

The CReW project is intended to support the WCR in addressing these three main challenges.What af-fects development of wastewater infrastructure in the Caribbean region?• Low priority given to the development of the waste-

water sector• Capacity constraints of many utilities and other ser-

vice providers• A lack of sufficient and stable long-term funding for

utilities• Inadequate and poorly enforced policies and laws• Poor communication and collaboration amongst in-

volved agencies• Limited awareness, knowledge and understanding of

alternative and appropriate treatment technologies; and • Limitations in technical capacity for environmental

management. In 1999, acknowledging that sewage is the number one point source of marine pollution in the region, Governments of the Wider Caribbean Region signaled their commitment to reduce marine pollution from untreated wastewater by agreeing to the Protocol on the Control of Land Based Sources of Marine Pollu-tion (LBS Protocol). The LBS Protocol forms part of the only legally bind-ing regional agreement for the protection and devel-opment of the Caribbean Sea - the Cartagena Conven-tion. Its entry into force in 2010 committed the Govern-ments which ratified or acceded to making major improvements in wastewater management by in-troducing innovative and cost effective treatment technologies, improving policy, regulatory and insti-tutional frameworks, and expanding access to afford-able financing. (Source: CReW)

Wastewater Management in the Wider Caribbean Region

‘Green Economy’ is essentially a form of develop-ment that addresses, in a holistic way, the many eco-nomic and environmental challenges confronting us today. In a green economy, growth in income and employ-ment are driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. A May 2009 report entitled "Assessment of Waste-water Management in the Caribbean" found untreat-ed domestic wastewater had severe economic conse-quences for coastal ecosystems in the Wider Caribbean Region. This created many problems, including: In-creased fish mortality and negative effects on com-mercial fisheries; Declines in coral reeds estimated to cost the region up to US$ 870 million by 2050; Threats to human health due to elevation of pathogenic micro-organisms; and Threats to the tourism sector. In her presentation to the 6th Biennial Caribbean Environmental Forum 6 in Saint Kitts & Nevis in May 2012, CReW's Project Coordinator, Denise Forrest, looked at the links between wastewater management (WWM) and the Green Economy. She raised the following points for consideration: Current dialogue on green economy places no empha-sis upon wastewater management; the focus tends to be more on water and sanitation; Wastewater is a re-source that has a value although that value needs to be properly determined; Treatment restores the value of wastewater which is a commodity; and Lack of treat-ment negatively impacts key economic sectors such as fisheries, health, shoreline protection (due to reef destruction), tourism and biodiversity. She pointed out that many countries in the WCR are affected by severe water scarcity. This has a direct impact upon sustainable development. Water stress is projected to increase with water supply satisfying only 60% of world demand in 20 years. Food secu-rity is also dependent upon water availability. Water recovery and integrated water management could therefore become a decisive factor in reshaping na-tional and regional food security policies.

How can Wastewater Management be linked to Green Economy?

Ms. Forrest asserted that more overtly inserting WWM into the green economy dialogue would have social, economic and environmental benefits. It would constitute a paradigm shift in thinking and practice which could, among other things: Reduce the volume and extent of water pollution through preven-tative practices; Treat polluted water using appropriate technologies and techniques for return to the environ-ment; Where feasible, safely reuse and recycle waste-water thereby conserving water and nutrients; and Provide a platform for the development of new and in-novative technologies and management practices. She said “specific enabling conditions” would be a policy framework that views wastewater as a resource, supporting national regulations, economic incentives, the development of markets, and technical assistance. (Source: CReW)

The Green Economy: Does it include Wastewater?

In her presentation to the 6th Biennial Caribbean Environmental Forum 6 in Saint Kitts & Nevis in May 2012, CReW's Project Coordinator, Denise Forrest, looked at the links between Wastewater Management

(WWM) and the Green Economy.

e-Source Page 3 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

CAWASA Secretariat NewsCAWASA’s 15th Annual General Meeting retained leadership The Wider Caribbean Region

stretches from the Bahamas in the North to Trinidad and Tobago in the South. Barbados to the East and all the islands in between; also the Caribbean coasts and watersheds of South and Central America. The Caribbean Sea that links us all is threatened by pollution that originates on land. This pollution threatens the livelihood of mil-lions: from village-based fisher folk to multi-national hotel chain owners. Creatures which inhabit streams, rivers, estuaries, mangroves, sea grass beds, coral reefs, and open ocean areas are in danger. This pollution erodes the basis for the survival of entire human communities: fisheries, tourist at-tractions and valuable food sup-plies. Income generation opportu-nities could be lost forever. (Source: UNEP-CAP)

The Convention for the Protec-tion and Development of the Ma-rine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Con-vention) of 1983 outlines the threats to the continued development of the Caribbean Sea and what we can do to help protect it. Its first protocol deals with Oil Spills; its second protocol is de-signed to conserve Specially Pro-tected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) and most recently, the LBS Proto-col addresses the problem of Land Bases Sources of Marine Pollution. This Protocol identifies the ma-jor sources of land-based pollu-tion and offers ways for decreasing their negative impacts on the coast-al and marine environment. If all countries of the Wider Ca-ribbean Region formally ratify/accede and meet the obligations of the LBS protocol, the fate of our Caribbean Sea—and out lives, can be changed from a dismal future to hope for sustainable development of the people.

there’s HeLP!

Our tHReAteNeD caribbean

The CAWASA membership, gathered at its 15th Annuual General meeting in St. Lucia, was satisfied with the leadership offered by the current executive of the regional organization and retained the same Executive Officers for 2012-2013, as follows:

Bernard Ettinoffe: President

Christopher husbands: Vice President

Ivan Rodrigues: Secretary

John Joseph: Treasurer

Fifty-nine (59) water operators from four CAWASA member-utilities and one non-member utility, in five Carib-bean territories, sat the Certification

Examinations in November 2012 , in which a 39% pass-rate was recorded. Participat-ing utilities iincluded:(Member Utilities) Antigua -- 21 operators; Dominica-- 1 op-

erator; St Lucia -- 11 operators; and St Vincent -- 9 operators. Non-member utility Trinidad & Tobago also partici-pated with 17 operators.

59 sat Water Operator Certification Examinations in November

The Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Inc. (CAWASA) has been invited to participate in the 5th Steering Committee (SC) Meeting of the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alli-ance (GWOPA) on 28th February to 1st March 2013, in Paris. The meeting in the French capital will be hosted by Syndicat Interdé-partemental pour l'Assainissement de l'Agglomération Parisienne (SIAAP), a member of the GWOPA Steering Com-mittee, at their Paris headquarters.CAWASA is already a member or-ganization of the GWOPA Steering Committee. The first day of the Paris meeting (February 28th) will feature presenta-tions by the GWOPA Secretariat, to be followed by discussions.

The SC meeting will also include Regional/National Platform Updates from regions to be represented (Af-rica, Asia, Latin America and the Ca-ribbean, the Pacific, Southeast Europe, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan) and these presentations will also be followed by discussion. Partners Perspectives and Updates will also be given at the meeting by participating institutions and organi-zations (ADB, AFD, AfDB, IDB, CSOs, USAID, OFID, IWA, Private Operators, Unions) followed by discussion. The meeting will feature pre-sentation, discussion and adop-tion of GWOPA’s 5-Year Strategy (2013-2017) to be adopted by the SC members. A meeting of the GWOP’s Integrity

Sub-committee will also take place on the first day. On the second day, Fri-day, March 1st 2013, participants will engage in presentation, discussion and adoption of GWOPA’s Work Plan for 2013, also to be adopted by the gath-ered SC members. Discussion will also be held on roles and contributions of SC members/GWO-PA partners to GWOPA’s activities. The Paris meeting will also feature presentation of new initiatives, includ-ing: UN-Water Task Force on Capac-ity Development for Water Operators (GWOPA); Development of Capac-ity Development Materials (UNESCO-IHE); and Review of WOPs profiles (McGill University). There will also be a special presentation by the host, SIAAP, of their international activities.

CAWASA invited to 5th GWOPA Steering Committee Meeting in Paris

A Small Scale Funding Agree-ment (SSFA) was signed between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an interna-tional intergovernmental organi-zation established by the General Assembly of the United Nations and represented by its Regional Coordinating Unit of the Caribbe-an Environment Programme (CEP) of the United Nations Environ-ment Programme (UNEP) based in Jamaica and the Caribbean Wa-ter and Sewerage Association Inc ( CAWASA), one of the key region-al stakeholders for the Global En-vironment Facility (GEF)-funded project “Testing a Prototype Ca-ribbean Regional Fund for Waste-water Management in the Wider Caribbean”. This was concluded as part of the GEF-funded regional project

entitled “Testing a Prototype Carib-bean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW)”. In particular, it addresses the UN-EP-CAR/RCU Assessment and Man-agement of Environmental Pollution sub-programme (AMEP) of the UN-EP-CAR/RCU. The AMEP sub-programme focuses on measures to prevent, reduce and control marine pollution and to assist countries in the implementation of the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) – the LBS Protocol -- and in particular Annex III on Domestic Wastewater. The LBS Protocol is the third protocol developed under the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean (the Cartagena Conven-tion) for which UNEP-CAR/RCU

serves as Secretariat. The CReW Project for the Wider Caribbean was approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in December 2010. The overall objective of this project is to, “in the context of the Cartagena Convention and LBS Protocol, pilot revolving financing mechanisms and their wastewater management reforms that can be subsequently established as feasi-ble instruments to provide sustain-able financing for the implementa-tion of environmentally sound and cost effective wastewater manage-ment measures.” The three interlinked compo-nents of the CReW Project are: (1) Investment and Sustainable Fi-nancing; (2) Reforms for Wastewa-ter Management and (3) Commu-nications, Outreach and Training.

To celebrate the 80th anniver-sary of Water En Energiebedrijf Aruba NV (WEB), the Caribbean Desalination Association (Carib-DA) held a conference and exhi-bition on the island of Aruba in June 2012. Titled “80 Years of Desalina-tion Makes For One Happy Is-land”, intended subjects for the conference were: Technology & Innovations, Planning and Man-agement, Finance & Economics, Regulations and the Environ-ment, Seawater Reverse Osmosis Applications, Desalination Us-ing Green Energy and Thermal Desalination, among others.

CARIBDA Hosts

Successful 2012

Conference

CAWASA and CReW sign SSFA

e-SourcePage 4 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

In 2013 World Water Day (WWD) will share the topic of Water Coop-eration. Now in its 21st year, World Water Day has grown to become one of the key dates in the United Nations cal-endar. The WWD represents a culminat-ing event within the International Year. Celebrations for the WWD will take place around the world on the theme of water cooperation. The main UN international event will take place in The Netherlands, hosted by the Dutch Government and coordinated by UNESCO and UNECE with the support of UN-Wa-ter Members and Partners. A High-Level Interactive Dialogue of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly will also be con-vened in New York on 22 March 2013 to mark the 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation and the twen-tieth anniversary of the proclamation of World Water Day.

About Workld Water Day International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advo-cating for the sustainable manage-ment of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations Gen-eral Assembly responded by des-ignating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Each year, World Water Day high-lights a specific aspect of freshwa-ter. Coming soon in this section of the website, we will present a brief overview of the different themes that have been the focus of World Water Day celebrations

WORLD WAteR DAY 22nd March 2013

The UN International Year 2013 and the World Water Day, 22 March 2013, was devoted to the theme "Water Cooperation". The seminar officially launched and introduced the preparations for both, the year and the day, and in-formed about the planned activities and initiatives; it also offered the opportunity to gather inputs and commitments from stakeholders. Water cooperation has multiple dimensions including cultural, edu-

cational, scientific, religious, ethical, social, political, legal, institutional and economic aspects. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to grasp the many facets implied in the concept and to blend such parts into a holistic vision. Moreover, in order to be successful and long-lasting, water cooperation needs a common understanding of what the needs and challenges are around water. Building a shared consensus on

the appropriate responses to these questions will be the main focus of the International Year and the World Water Day in 2013. The seminar provided inspiring messages to feed the programme of the UN International Year as well as the campaign for the World Wa-ter Day 2013, both coordinated by UNESCO in cooperation with UN-ECE and with the support of UN-DESA, UNW-DPAC, UNW-DPC, on behalf UN-Water.

Ready for World Water Cooperation 2013

5 Numbers to remember

when drinking water

According to a report by Fox News, ten signs a body is dehy-drated include: 1. Dry mouth and swollen tongue. 2. Dark yellow urine. 3. Constipation. 4. Skin becomes less elastic. 5. Pal-pitation. 6. Muscle cramps or spasms. 7. Dizziness. 8. Tired-ness. 9. Dry Tears. 10. Body al-ways feels hot. Health, experts suggest five numbers to remember and to drink enough water each day:

First, an adult needs at least 1,200 milliliters of water every day, which is two bottles of mineral water.

Second, it takes 21 minutes for water to enter the cells of the body, therefore, drinking water a half an hour before a meal aids digestion.

Third, water at 25-370C is best for your health.

Fourth, going to the bathroom five to seven times indicates that you are drinking a suffi-cient amount of water for your body.

Fifth, four kinds of people need to pay attention to how much water they drink: Diabetics and patients with heart disease, car-diovascular disease and kidney disease cannot have too much water or drink too quickly, since over-drinking can put too much stress on the heart and kidneys.

e-Source Page 5 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

(The year 2012 ended with St. Lucians anticipating an expected request from the island’s lone water utility, WASCO, for a substantial increase in eater rates. But increases aren’t automatic. Any request must be published for public information

and a period of pubic consultation must also follow. The following facts were issued by the St. Lucia Ministry of the Public Service, which is also responsible for public utilities and the island’s water sector. The fact sheet was circulated at the start of a public information outreach by the ministry ahead of consideration of WASCO’s latest tariff increase application and the

expected period of national consultation at the beginning of 2013.)

St. Lucia in National Consultation on Utility’s Water Rates Increase Request

St. Lucia Water Rates Fact Sheet The current Water Rates are as follows: Domestic consumers pay EC $7.35 (US $1 = EC $2.71) for 1000 gallons of water for the first 3,000 gallons they consume. In excess of 3,000 gallons, they pay $15.00 per 1,000 gallons. In other words, the price of water for monthly con-sumption is less than 3,000 gallons, which is 0.73 cents per gallon. The equivalent price for a liter of water is 0.16 cents per liter. The recommendation by the Na-tional Water and Sewerage Commis-sion is for this price to be increased to $12.21 for 1,000 gallons for con-sumption that is less than 3,000 gallons per month. This means, ef-fectively, that if the new rates are approved, most consumers will be paying 1.22 cents for a gallon of wa-ter. The equivalent price for a liter of water would be 0.27 cents. To put this in perspective, we should look at the price of bottled water. A 1.5 liter bottle of water cur-rently sells for $2.17, while a 650 ml bottle sells for $1.14. At WASCO’s current prices for consumers, 1.5 li-ters of water sells to the public for 0.24 cents, while 650 ml sells for 0.10 cents. At the suggested new price, 1.5 liters would be sold to the public for 0.405 cents, while 650 ml would be sold for 0.18 cents. For the hotels, WASCO currently charges $22.00 for 1,000 gallons of water. This equates to a rate of 2.2 cents per gallon or 0.48 cents per liter. In bottled water sizes, this is 0.72 cents for 1.5 liters and 0.31 cents for 650 ml. The proposed new rate for hotels is $36.55 for 1,000 gallons, which is 3.65 cents per gallon or 0.81 cents per liter. For the equivalent bottled water volumes, this is 1.21 cents for 1.5 liters and 0.53 cents for 650 ml. For commercial consumers, WAS-CO’s rate currently stands at $20 for 1,000 gallons. This is 2 cents per gal-lon or 0.44 cents per liter. The equiv-alent bottled water rates are 0.66 cents for 1.5 liters and 0.29 cents for 650 ml. The proposed new rate for commercial consumers is $33.23 per 1,000 gallons, which is 3.32 cents per gallon or 0.74 cents per liter. Again, the equivalent bottled water rates would be 1.11 cents for 1.5 liters and 0.48 cents for 650 ml. With respect to the sewerage or wastewater rates, these currently stand at $5.45 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000 gallons for domes-tic consumers, which will go up to $10.35 per 1,000 gallons for pro-duction in excess of 3,000 gallons per month. The proposed increase would be to $13.10 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000 gallons and $24.87

per 1,000 gallons for sewerage in ex-cess of 3,000 gallons. For commercial consumers, the current rate is $13.70 per 1,000 gal-lons, with a proposed increase to $32.92 per 1,000 gallons. The hotel sector currently pays $14.60 per 1,000 gallons for sewer-age, and the proposal is that this will increase to $35.08 per 1,000 gallons. It should be noted that WASCO currently has only 3,896 accounts for wastewater or sewerage, which is equivalent to less than 7% of the population. The procedure with the proposed rates, according to the legislation (Water and Sewerage Act) is as fol-lows: A draft notice will be pub-lished in the newspapers and the Gazette, to allow members of the public 2 WEEKS to comment. The Commission shall then con-sider the comments made by the public and shall make the changes to the report as it sees fit. The Com-mission shall publish the summary of the decision stipulating the new or modified tariff scheme in the Ga-zette and at least 2 newspapers, at which time the new tariff will come into effect.

Some facts about WASCO WASCO operates approximately 26 water plants, over 80 reservoirs and storage tanks and a distribution network comprising approximately 500 miles of pipes, some of which are over 60 years old. All of these are in need of immediate attention and maintenance. Water loss is between 40% and 60% -- due to leaks, water theft, meter issues and poor customer databases. This means that over half of the water that the company produces cannot be accounted for. The company has engaged a team to aggressively look at reducing the percentage of non-revenue water to around 20%. Electricity costs account for 35% of WASCO’s direct expenses. The company has estimated that to re-store the national water system to Pre-Tomas condition will require a capital injection of almost $20 mil-lion, while the de-silting of the Ro-seau/John Compton Dam will re-quire over $10 million. Additionally, addressing the wa-ter supply problems in Vieux Fort will necessitate over $25 million in infrastructure works, with a similar sum needed to deal with the prob-lems of poor water supply and qual-ity in the Dennery Valley. There are 59,998 accounts for water, of which 40,976 are active.

Moving Forward A tariff increase will not solve the water problems we are facing in Saint Lucia. It will merely allow WASCO to cover its operating ex-penses and get out of this peren-nial debt hole that it has been in for years. There are steps that WASCO must take immediately to increase the ef-ficiency of its operations. • It must drastically reduce on the

percentage of non-revenue water. It has to reduce on the number of inactive consumers, which cur-rently stands at over 19,000.

• The amnesty announced by the Government in the 2012 Bud-get was supposed to have given WASCO an avenue to address this problem and the company has to vigorously pursue this

option.

• WASCO must improve its re-sponse time to customer com-plaints.

• WASCO must also establish met-rics against which it will judge its quality and efficiency of service, such as the duration and frequen-cy of service interruptions.

• WASCO must explore ways to re-duce its energy consumption, in-cluding the possibility of install-ing a hydroelectric facility at the Roseau Dam.

• The monthly energy require-ments of the Roseau Dam run in the hundreds of thousands of dol-lars, and this is one area where expenditure reduction should be possible.

• WASCO must also improve its cus-tomer management database and there are opportunities to partner with LUCELEC in this regard.

Water is still collected traditionally for free at public standpipes across the Caribbean. But while the average regional consumer spends more on bottled water without realizing it, most also have serious misconcep-tions about what it costs to produce and distribute water nationally.

e-SourcePage 6 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

CAWASA 2012 AGM and Stakeholders Forum

Wastewater, alongside, water has been identified as a critical component of any county’s priori-ties. The Millennium Goals, aimed to eradicate poverty by 2015, that have been endorsed by most na-tions are unlikely to be fulfilled unless more emphasis is put on these critical sectors. The Caribbe-an Regional Environmental Waste-water (CReW) initiative funded by the IDB and co-sponsored by UNEP, have ascertained that only 3% of wastewater in the Region is treated at an acceptable stan-dard. This lack of treatment has serious repercussions for coun-tries both environmentally and economically. The Caribbean Water and Sew-erage Association Inc. (CAWASA) ended 2012 hosting three impor-tant regional meetings assessing best practices for running Caribbe-an wastewater facilities and to con-solidate strategic alliances for sus-tainable development in St. Lucia’s and the Caribbean region’s water and sewerage sectors. Alongside the CAWASA AGM the objective of these meetings was to share information between utilities, fos-ter greater understanding of Best

Practices in the wastewater sector and present opportunities on moving the sector forward. The first meeting was a two-day Operational Assessment Workshop held December 3rd to 4th at the Bay Gardens Conference Centre at Rod-ney Bay, Gros Islet. It featured pre-sentations related to Effective Utility Management (EUM). EUM identifies Best Practices as documented by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the US Public Works Association and the Environ-mental Protection Agency. The work-shop was conducted by the World Water and Wastewater Solutions (WWWS), which had been engaged to conduct studies and assessments and to lead the discussions on findings. Presentations included a case study presented by the local Water and Sewage Company (WASCO), as well as an overview of a project earlier un-dertaken by the Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW). The workshop began with an over-view of the CReW project by Denise Forrest and Christopher Corbin, fol-lowed by presentation and discus-sion of the Baseline Assessment. The

Caribbean Wastewater Under Regional Scrutiny in St. Lucia

CAWASA hosts successful Operational Assessment Workshop, Annual Stakeholders Forum and 2012 AGM

WWWS representative, Valerie Jen-kinson, made several presentations indicating the concepts, principles, benefits and challenges of utility oper-ation water assessments, offering case studies undertaken by her entity. Re-lated issues presented and discussed also included data requirement and sources, data collection methodolo-

gies for conducting operational as-sessments and presentation of reports of findings. Also discussed was effec-tive management and certification of utility operations and operators, as well as certificate programme and op-erational assessments, and hiring of the right personnel for the best job.

Continued on Page 10

I wish to extend a pleasant wel-come to everyone especially our re-gional participants. I wish to also congratulate the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association (CAWASA) for hosting yet another conference which brings together stakeholders of the water sector throughout the region. I feel very honoured yet humbled to have been asked to present the feature address especially because the request came from Mr. Victor Poyotte, an as-tute gentleman who I rank among the highest professionals in Saint Lucia. He was my former teacher and boss so to be considered by him says that I’ve received a passing grade at both ends.

“Consolidating Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development in the Water and Sewerage Sector”

I will try my best to make you proud, Mr. Poyotte.Your theme, “Consolidat-ing Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development in the Water and Sew-erage Sector” is most appropriate for today’s changing circumstances of the water sector especially with issues of climate change where we experience extremes of drought and flooding. As a result, our water intakes are con-stantly under serious threat causing our companies and water authorities to operate at levels below demand. The climatic changes strongly influ-ence the reduction of water amount and quality because the large level of increase in carbon emission by the ef-fects of global warming pollutes the

drinking water resources dangerous-ly. Mountainous forested watersheds are the most important freshwater yield areas in the world. But we are losing the supply of quality water due to poor land management and defor-estation. Therefore, sustainable and equitable water management is neces-sary for saving the world from human and economic tragedy. Manzoor (2011) emphasized that, “Water crisis is a serious human issue that exists when supply of water is less than demand”. This situation is there-fore certainly untenable given the rapid development of our countries in the re-gion. The impact of water on tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare,

construction and domestic consumers is quite profound. As the old adage goes, “Water is Life”, we cannot but over emphasize the importance of this vital resource to our nations. This therefore calls for collaboration and alliances of various parties and agencies in ensuring that we have thriv-ing water agencies in our individual countries. To this end, the Government of Saint Lucia has created a structure for regulating the water sector by estab-lishing the National Water & Sewerage Commission under the chairmanship of Mr. Truscott Augustin, as well as the Water Resource Management Agency headed by Mr. Michael Andrew.

Continued on Page 7

Following is the full text of the Feature Address by Mrs. Allison A. Jean, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services & Transport of Saint Lucia, at the CAWASA Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder

Forum held at the bar Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, St. Lucia on 5th December 2012

Chris Corbin Denise Forrest

e-Source Page 7October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

1

CAWASA 2012 AGM and Stakeholders Forum

Continued from Page 6 You have heard from these two agencies on the manner in which they both regulate the water company to ensure the affordability of rates and quality of service for our citizens. The three agencies working together is one of the first and primary alliances that must be created if Saint Lucia is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations to “halve by 2015, the proportion of the popula-

tion without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation” (United Nations, 2010, p. 58). The other alliances that must be de-veloped are among other agencies of government that aid in enhancing the delivery of safe drinking water and waste water services. Agencies such as the Ministries of Infrastructure, Finance, Agriculture, Physical Development and Sustainable Development must all work towards assisting the government-

owned company in reducing obstacles that impede progress and facilitating avenues that enhance sustainability. For us in Saint Lucia, the ailing wa-ter company needs urgent assistance in several forms – political will, cor-porate governance, technical support, financial resources, human resource capacity building, and institutional strengthening. To my mind, we are playing with the economy, as a failed water sector is inevitably detrimental

to economic and social development. Paramount to sustainability of the water sector is also the appreciation of conservation measures by all consum-ers. My Ministry supported this initia-tive through the implementation of the World Bank-funded Mosaic Project that sought to, inter alia, channel waters to reduce infrastructural damage through the installation of guttering and water tanks for rain water harvesting.

Continued on page 10

Regional Environmental Health expert says:

‘Caribbean Waste Water Management Faces a Serious Capacity Deficit!’

Waste Water Management is very important, due to the potentially high long-term cost of continuing to treat it just as something that can be put on the back burner. e-Source spoke briefly to Program Director at the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) Christopher Cox, PhD about the importance of the Water and Waste Water. The brief interview was

conducted during the Stakeholders Forum and Operational Assessment Workshop hosted by the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association (CAWASA) in St. Lucia on December 5th 2012.

Q: How important is the workshop and how important tor relevant will be its results for the future of Waste Water Management in the participat-ing countries from across the Carib-bean, including islands and mainland territories? A: It contributes to many efforts that have been gone before, looking at the best thing is, how will we find the domestic waste, industrial waste and the problem is that we all know, waste water is something that people sweep under the rug. Waste water goes into places that you cannot see -- into the rivers and out in the sea. But in this context, it’s in the environment and it not only degrades the eco-systems, but it also presents a clear and present danger for us as users – as bathers every day, as users of water for drinking, using water for recreation. Tourists and lo-cals alike all make use of water…

But a big problem we've had in all these islands is the massive amount of degradation of the environment,

whether through farming or fertiliz-ing, polluted water, oils and grease from garages, industrial effluence (and all the kinds of toxins inside there)... So, the thing about it is coming up with the kinds of strategies the Gov-ernments or the Private sector can put in place to minimize the clear and present danger to public health and also the danger to the economic assets -- our beaches, our marine reserves, our fishing and tourism areas… The thing that we find, though, is that Waste Water follows in an even worse position than water because potable wa-ter supply is already in a bad position -- people have the general perception that water should be free, the payment for water should be something that the gov-ernment bears example, entirely, etc. I mean -- granted that we all rec-ognize this as an essential service -- a right -- we need to have water. It is

essential. But the thing is: there's a cost for it. Similarly, there's a cost for Waste Water treatment. So, there are many questions: For ex-ample, How do we strategically position by way of a policy, by way of getting and giving support? (We're not only talking about ministers or politicians here, we're talking about the society -- the private industries, the stake holders. But the question remains…) How do we get the processes paid for? How do we write a policy that ensures that what we do supports what other economic sec-tors are doing? How does the waste wa-ter strategy link into tourism, planning, and all those other sectors? Now, that is where the utilities -- who typically have (in most of the countries) the management responsible for water and waste water sectors -- how do you get them to interface or interlock more effectively with those other sectors?

(Continued on Page 11)

CEHI Project Coordinator Dr Christopher Cox PhD. 1

“Consolidating StrategicAlliances for Sustainable

Development in the Water andSewerage Sector”

====================================================================Following is the full text of the Feature Address by Mrs. Allison A. Jean,

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services & Transport of SaintLucia, at the CAWASA Annual General Meeting & Stakeholder Forum held at the bar

Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, St. Lucia on 5th December 2012

The banner at the meeting said it all...

e-SourcePage 8 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

Caribbean Water News

Jamaican Member of Parliament, D.K. Duncan, has stopped short of saying the social realities of some of his Eastern Hanover constitu-ents is a factor which has worked against them getting potable wa-ter. Speaking in the island’s the House of Representatives recently Duncan said that in a section of his constituency, the hotels are blessed with the life-saving com-modity while the "black people" are forced to carry water in pans on their heads. "Our definition of drought in Hanover is not that there is no rain, it is just the absence of potable wa-ter," Duncan said. He noted that there is water in the area, pointing for example at the Great River Wa-ter supply, which takes water to hotels in that section of the west-ern parish. "All the hotels, whether it's Try-all, Round Hill, Fiesta, they always have water," Duncan said. "But on

the left hand side, where the black people live, there is no water." The MP, who likened conditions of people carrying water in pans on their heads to an advertisement placed in the media in 1972, which detested the way people were living, expressed sadness that 41 years later not much has changed. "There seems to be a systemic prob-lem in terms of implementation," Duncan said, as he blamed the pro-curement process for standing be-tween policy objectives and delivery of service to people. "I have found that one of the major problems we have where you find the bureaucrats even being helpful is the system that we have put in, the system of procurement, which has brought the country almost to a standstill," Duncan said. He noted that the procurement sys-tem has been put in place "in order to respond to the public's outrage at the possibility of corruption", but argued that "we have gone overboard".

Duncan said the problems faced by his constituents, as well as other Jamai-cans, was not because Robert Pickers-gill, the minister of water, land, envi-ronment and climate change, had not been working. According to Duncan, Pickersgill had been accessible and had laid out a clear plan for his portfolio. He pointed to Pickersgill's 2012-2013 Sectoral Debate presentation in which the minister announced that the Rural Water Supply Limited, in collaboration with the National Water Commission, will be embarking on a major rural water-supply upgrading programme. But Duncan said despite this com-mitment, the snail's pace at which the project is moving is very frustrating. "We don't expect miracles, but when you are there with your constituents and the water commission tells them and tells you that water is life, you get some sarcastic letters from constituents who continue not to have water, about their conditions of mortality," Duncan said. (Source: Caribbean360.com)

Jamaican MP D.K. Duncan says while procurement processes were

initiated to combat corruption, they’ve been taken overboard, result-ing in bureaucratic delays in delivery of water services where most needed.

Procurement processes blamed for snail’s pace of delivery of Jamaican rural water supplies

Jamaican MP D.K. Duncan says while procurement processes were initiated to combat corruption, they’ve been taken

overboard, resulting in bureaucratic delays in delivery of water services where most needed.

===================================================================

Jamaican Member of Parliament, D.K. Duncan, has stopped short of saying the social realities of some of his Eastern Hanover constituents is a factor which has worked against them getting potable water.

Speaking in the island’s the House of Representatives recently Duncan said that in a section of his constituency, the hotels are blessed with the life-saving commodity while the "black people" are forced to carry water in pans on their heads.

"Our definition of drought in Hanover is not that there is no rain, it is just the absence of potable water," Duncan said.

He noted that there is water in the area, pointing for example at the Great River Water supply, which takes water to hotels in that section of the western parish.

"All the hotels, whether it's Tryall, Round Hill, Fiesta, they always have water," Duncan said.

"But on the left hand side, where the black people live, there is no water."

Procurement processes blamed for snail’s pace of delivery of Jamaican rural water supplies

St.Lucia’s Water and Sewage Com-pany (WASCO) has applied for a tariff increase via the National Water and Sewage Commission. The National Water and Sewage Commission is an independent regulatory author-ity, whose mandate is to regulate the water and sewage sector on the island under stipulations of the Water and Sewage Act of 2005. According to Executive Director of the National Water and Sewage Commission, Kelly Joseph, WAS-CO has not increased their Tariff in over 12 years which will also be considered.

“WASCO submitted an application for a Tariff review in October of last year and that Tariff application was

further amended in December last year. They are seeking an increase in their rate. As you might be aware, the Commission has three choices either to increase or leave the rate as is” According to Mr. Joseph, the Water and Sewage Act of 2005 which was amended in 2008 outlines three claus-es under which a utility company can apply for a tariff review - the An-nual, Tri - Annual and Extraordinary clause, with Saint Lucia applying un-der the Extraordinary item. Tariffs can be adjusted under this clause due to extenuating circumstances such as the case of a natural disaster. The regulatory body will review the request of WASCO, taking into consideration factors such as the util-

ity company's balance sheet and cash flow. “WASCO's application is for ninety eight percent tariff increase, however the commission would have to consider all factors to deter-mine whether such an increase can be awarded but bearing in mind the Commission can choose to reduce it or leave it as is, but a final determi-nation has not yet been made. That is important to highlight” The National Water and Sewage Commission will be assisted in the re-view by The Office Of Utility Regula-tion (OUR) from Jamaica. OUR is a multi sector Regulator with extensive experience in the regulation of water sewage, transportation and telecom-munications.

Truscott Augustin, Chairman of the St. Lucia National Water Commission

National Water Commission Reviews St. Lucia Tariff Increase Request

A show of unity between St. Lucia’s bottled water manufac-turers is expected to intensify as they seek to convince the buying public that they meet the highest quality standards and local de-mand. This comes in the face of a widening of the local market to outside brands. The first statement of unity and solidarity was made when St. Lucia

hosted the Caribbean T20 tournament in January this year. The boundary advertising board promoting the St. Lucia Manufac-turers Association was beamed to over 40 million viewers and through a deal with the West Indies Cricket Board, five local water companies were given the right as the official bottle water suppliers for the week-long event.

The five water companies -- Bam-boo Springs, Forest Springs, H20, Par-adise Water and Crystal Clear -- have vowed to continue the spirit of collab-oration with major events coming up, including St. Lucia Jazz, Carnival 2013 and other local and cultural events. This is part of a Buy Local campaign spearheaded by the St. Lucia Manu-facturers Association, which argues that local bottle water companies can

compete in quality and standards and can adequately meet local demand for both spring and purified water. They also point out that they are contributing directly to the local econ-omy through job creation, taxes and support for local events. In addition, they say, all profits re-main in the country. (Source: Carib-bean Business Report)

Bottled water companies say they can meet local demand

e-Source Page 9October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

Water in China

by Asit Biswas China's ambitions are high. By 2020, it aims to double its 2010 GDP and per capita income of urban and rural resi-dents both. China's economic track record has been impressive. It now has a middle class population of more than 300 million and has experienced the fastest ever economic growth over the past 30 years. But it may not be able to maintain this momentum un-less it overcomes one of its core policy challenges: water, both in terms of quantity and quality. Economic growth is no rocket sci-ence. Abundant supply of cheap la-bor and energy powers a country's industrialization. Without affordable energy, however, energy-intensive businesses are driven out of the mar-ket and many factories are unable to produce goods at competitive prices. This link between economic growth and energy - the energy-growth-nexus - is widely acknowledged. But most analysts and policymakers to-day ignore what really an energy in-dustry is powered by: abundant and sustainable supply of water. Indeed, China's economy runs on water. Water is needed at one stage or another to generate energy. China's industry is the second largest water consumer - it consumes 139 billion cubic meters of water a year - with only the agriculture sector consum-ing more. And by 2030, Chinese in-dustry's water consumption is pro-jected to increase to 265 billion cubic meters. Energy generating plants in China are the largest industrial users of wa-ter, consuming about 42 million cubic meters of water a year. Since China's installed energy capacity is projected to double by 2020, energy producers' share of water will continue to rise. This growing demand will not be matched by the availability of water. For example, the Water Resources Group, projects that if China carries on with business as usual, its demand for water will outstrip supply by 199 billion cubic meters.China is running out of water, which could soon curb its growth unless immediate counter-measures are taken. What exacerbates this shortage is the vicious circle of energy and wa-

Will China run out of water by 2030?

ter - if power-generating plants need water then water treatment and sup-ply facilities need energy. The Third World Centre for Water Management estimates that the water sector con-sumes as much as 25 percent of the electricity generated globally. Though China's water sector is not yet among the country's most energy-intensive industries, it will gradually become so with new hubs of growth emerg-ing in the water-scare western region and the increasing demand for waste-water treatment. Already, about 52 percent of China's economic output comes from water-scarce regions. Unfortunately, China does not have much water to begin with. It is home to almost 20 percent of the world's population but has only 7 percent of its freshwater reserves. Water is one of its scarcest resources. And it is ex-tremely inefficient in the use of water and a world leader in water pollu-

tion. China is the world's largest pro-ducer and consumer of coal, which meets more than 70 percent of its en-ergy needs. The country produced 3.8 billion tons of coal in 2011 - almost half of the world's total. Coal may be considered a cheap source of en-ergy, but the air and water pollution caused by the mining and use of the mineral is devastating. According to Greenpeace, 2.5 tons of water is pol-luted for each ton of coal produced. About 25 percent of all wastewater in China comes from washing coal, and it contains large amounts of chemicals and heavy metals that are almost im-possible to recycle. All this makes the true cost of coal in China as high as 1.7 trillion yuan ($272.82 billion), or about 7 percent of its GDP. So what can the country do to com-bat these problems? As a first step to-ward tackling water pollution, China

needs to rapidly reduce its reliance on coal. A more ecological alterna-tive could be shale gas. According to the US Energy Information Adminis-tration, China has the world's largest shale gas reserves - up to 36.1 trillion cubic meters . And China does want to increase its shale gas production to 6.5 billion cubic meters by 2015. Natural gas emits 45 percent less CO2 per unit of energy produced compared to coal. And though hydraulic fracturing, the technique used to exploit shale gas, requires about 4.5 million gallons of water per well, it is equal to what a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant consumes in just 10 hours. Frac-turing, nevertheless, could contami-nate groundwater. No wonder, France banned hydraulic fracturing in 2011. The use of shale gas, therefore, may not result in cleaner water in China. If China takes the water-energy-growth nexus into account, it would most certainly seek a more balanced energy mix and not focus solely on ex-ploiting shale gas, for its planned rapid exploitation of shale gas may reduce its CO2 footprint but it will also exac-erbate its water shortage. Admittedly, Chinese policymakers are taking the water problem seriously. But water is still isolated from the country's energy and growth policies. China aims to re-duce its water intensity by 30 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period. It has also set new pollu-tion-reduction targets, particularly for the agriculture sector. The country must adopt a coordi-nated approach to water, which will gradually price in the external costs of shale gas or coal. Yet there is no sign of China recognizing that water has to be managed cross-sectorally. Its latest plans do say that "water is the source of life, production and ecology", but it does not have a coordinated policy approach to manage water, energy and economic development holistical-ly, without which it will not be able to fuel its economic growth indefinitely because it will run out of water. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Asit Biswas is distinguished visiting professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singa-pore, and founder of Third World Centre for Water Management. Julian Kirchherr is a graduate student on public policy and management at the London School of Eco-nomics (LSE) and National University of Singapore.

China’s Ministry of Environmen-tal Protection has ordered local gov-ernments to enhance management of drinking water quality during flooding periods after a southwestern city had its main water source contaminated by waste chemicals through heavy rains. With the arrival of last year's flood season, floods and rainfall eroded soil and possibly washed waste from river banks into the water, thus "seriously

threatening drinking-water sources," the statement said. The ministry asks local govern-ments to strengthen the monitoring of water quality, especially in areas sus-ceptible to pollution, and also to pro-vide greater supervision of factories, such as pharmaceutical, chemical, pa-permaking, smelting and other heavy industries. Key pollution sources, tailings and

urban sewage treatment plants are also under strict supervision, it said, adding that measures should be taken immediately if water quality is found substandard. The warning system should also be improved so that environmental pollution incidents would be re-ported promptly to reduce damage, the statement said, adding that acts of covering up pollution accidents

must be strongly prohibited. Waste chemicals from the Xich-uan Minjiang Electrolytic Manga-nese Plant in the city of Mianyang of southwestern Sichuan Province were washed into the Fujiang River, the city's main source of water, by heavy rains last year. Mianyang resi-dents resorted to buying bottled wa-ter after local authorities reported the contamination. (More on Page 11)

China orders strict management of drinking water quality

China’s economy runs on water, but there’s concern about just how much of a coordinated approach it has to this important source and resource.

What lessons for the caribbean and the developing world?

e-SourcePage 10 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

Caribbean Wastewater Under Regional Scrutiny in St. Lucia

“Consolidating Strategic Alliances for Sustainable

Development in the Water and Sewerage Sector”

Continued from Page 6 Participants identified specific and general water and wastewater challenges and how operational assessments can help, as well as operational best practices that can be employed. The represen-tatives from 15 Caribbean states, discussed recommendations based on individual presentations on key institutional entry points in each country for future capacity build-ing and training. Recommenda-tions included training for media and educational institutions to en-sure sustainability of awareness. The two days of discussions and presentations – including an over-seas video link with WWWS’ Doug McRae in Canada – at the opera-tional assessment workshop coin-cided with and led into the CA-WASA Stakeholders Forum and Annual General Meeting, held at the same venue, on 5th December. The CAWASA Stakeholders Fo-rum and AGM heard welcoming remarks from CAWASA President Bernard Ettinoffe, an overview of the Forum from CAWASA Execu-tive Director Victor Poyotte and the need for ongoing collaboration among partners from WASCO Managing Director John Joseph. Michael Andrew, Director of St. Lucia’s Water Resource Agency made a presentation on Water Re-source Management in St. Lucia while Truscott Augustin, Chair-man in St. Lucia’s National Water Commission delivered a presenta-tion on the State of Water Sector Regulations in St. Lucia. Participants at the Stakeholder Conference/AGM were presented with an overview of the OECS Wa-ter Sector Reform Project by Project Coordinator Suzanna Scott, while UNEP (United Nations Environ-mental Program) and CReW repre-sentative, Christopher Corbin, pre-sented highlights on Opportunities Offered by the CReW project. The feature address at the AGM/Stakeholders Meeting on the theme “Consolidating Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development” was delivered by Mrs Alison Jean, Per-manent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, which is also responsi-ble for Public Utilities. The regional aspects of the Ca-ribbean’s water and wastewater challenges and prospects were also discussed at the CAWASA AGM/Stakeholders Meeting.

A comprehensive presentation on regional Water Sector Initia-tives undertaken by the Carib-bean Development Bank CDB) was made by O’Reilly Lewis, the CDB’s Operations Officer and An-drew Dupigny, Division Chief of the CDB’s Economic Infrastructure Division. Findings of the Land Based Pro-tocol (LBS) were presented by the CReW representatives, while an-other session on prospects for re-gional collaboration was also pre-sented by O’Reilly Lewis, this time in his capacity as President of the Caribbean Waste Water Associa-tion (CWWA). CAWASA Executive Director, Victor Poyotte, is pleased with the outcome of the two sessions over three days, which addressed water and wastewater issues in the partic-ipating countries and came up with recommendations for solutions.” He says on behalf of the CAWASA Secretariat “It is now for us to work on implementation of our recom-mendations both at the national and regional levels, individually in each country and collectively as a region,” he added. “There is of-ten a lot of talk, much enthusiasm when we meet then little action af-terwards. Going forward this must change. The Region sits in a precari-ous position. Water and Wastewa-ter is often called the “silent ser-vice” and people take little notice until there is something wrong. All parties from the Utilities to senior politicians have to recognize that unless changes are made and fund-ing available to provide basic ser-vices to the citizens of the Region our children and grandchildren will pay the price both in terms of health and economic security” Poyotte said that “CAWASA stands ready, as always, to fa-cilitate the initiatives necessary to create conditions for better un-derstanding and application of all the related factors necessary to improve our management of the region’s water and wastewater operations.” CAWASA’s Projects Officer Su-zanne Joseph, who both participat-ed and implemented operational and administrative matters associ-ated with the three consecutive and two simultaneous meetings, also expressed satisfaction with the out-come of the important gatherings in St. Lucia of local, regional and international water and wastewa-ter utility managers, operators and consultants.

Continued from Page 7

This project has been regarded as a success story for Saint Lucia and is being replicated in other parts of the world. We must therefore continue to encourage our citizens to practice such conservation measures that are aimed at preserving water resources and also reducing the strain on the delivery of water services. In addition to this project, my Minis-try has provided tremendous support towards the restoration of the water infrastructure following the passage of Hurricane Tomas. We sought to re-store the Ravine Poisson and Vanard water intakes but were unsuccessful with Vanard given the magnitude of the structural damage and river re-alignment which occurred. It is my hope that the much needed assistance will be received to allow for the com-pletion of this project as it is not only a substitute source to the Roseau Dam but also a complement to meet the de-mands of the country. Yet again, a call was made to a few Friendly Governments for urgent re-sponse to restore the water sector, spe-cifically the Roseau Dam which has been deemed heavily silted as a result of the tremendous landslides that oc-curred during Hurricane Tomas. I am aware that the Cuban Government responded and continued to show interest in providing assistance in dredging the Dam so that its capacity could return to its original levels. All of these, and there are many more, are examples of the alliances that have al-ready been created to ensure the sus-tainability of the water company and by extension, the water sector.Not-withstanding the collaboration high-lighted above, the most urgent need for the company is meaningful capital injection. I am aware that a proposal has been submitted to the Water & Sewerage Commission for tariff review which to my mind is long overdue, how-ever the question is: should the rates

for water be set at a level that would cause self-sustainability for the com-pany or must government always provide subsidies to guarantee the af-fordability of water for all? The indifference of consumers to rate increases for water is amazing in a country where mobile penetration is above 100 per cent. There appears to be a paradox where citizens deem mo-bile phones as necessities but are not willing to pay more for water, which is life. On the other hand, the level of governmental support also does not seem equitable. There are issues that must be settled. In financing the water sector, an-other approach that could be consid-ered is public private partnerships but, social water policies must be ex-plored to clarify the definition of wa-ter affordability and water poverty; provide analysis of regulations aimed at helping low-income households in terms of water affordability; and pro-vide empirical analysis of water af-fordability. Saint Lucia pursued the PPP procurement process but was thereafter aborted. In moving forward to the achieve-ment of sustainable development in the water and sewerage sector, con-sumers must be reminded that what flows through our taps is not raw water but actually a transformed re-source called treated water. So, while water is important for life, treated water that has been purified makes the quality of that water safe for drinking, food production, manu-facturing, bathing, among other uses. I trust therefore that all stakeholders will work synergistically to enhance the quality of service meted out in the sector thereby causing, not only suc-cess, but sustainability of the water sector in the Caribbean. I wish you success in your delibera-tions throughout this Annual General Meeting and look forward to a solid water and wastewater sector through-out the region. Thank you.

CAWASA Executive Director Victor Poyotte makes a telling point at the December 2012 workshop.

Mrs. Allison A. Jean - Permanent SecretaryMinistry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport

e-Source Page 11October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

Continued from Page 7

That is of a capacity deficit that we find exists, because the guys who are in the water utilities are mostly en-gineers and their job is charged with providing water to the public. But you also have a middle-ground to travel: to convince people of the kind of ser-vice that Waste Water is; what waste water is all about; and how you com-municate that effectively and broaden the discussion beyond the water utili-ties. There are many things that need to be done so that waste water and waste water management is regarded as something that we all share respon-sibility in. So, this workshop is look-ing at some of those issues that can be

Regional Environmental Health Expert says:

‘Caribbean Waste Water Management Faces a Serious Capacity Deficit!’

more effectively dealt with at and by a utility level, but also considering what utilities need to do to win support of persons outside of the water utility -- the Ministries of Health and Tourism, the Private Sector Enterprises, your Business Community, your Chamber of Commerce, your Manufacturers Association, etc. All these are all people that are using water in their enterprises. They mod-ify the water and pollute it by throw-ing pollutants into it and discharging it. So, they too have a responsibility like everybody else. Therefore, the re-sponsibility for water, in all its forms, does not only lie with the water util-ity, but with the society in general. Q. Are there any waste-water treat-

ment plants or facilities in St. Lucia and how effective are they? A. There are a few. The main one is the Beausejour one covering the Rod-ney Bay area and which includes most of the major hotels, in addition to the houses that surround from South Cap Estate, Bonne Terre, Reduit Heights, Reduit Orchard and those areas around the catchment area, including Rodney Bay itself. But there are also other processing plants and systems, one in Vieux Fort at the brewery and other private enterprises that have their own. At Cul de Sac, Lucelec also has its own waste water treatment plant. Then there are the hotels, like Sandals with its private packaged water treat-

ment plant. There was also one at Mi-coud at one time. But beyond that, most waste water is on site. When you have a private toilet, you flush into a septic tank that has a soak-away, but once the solid waste settles in the tank, the wa-ter itself would have been “safe” to discharge into the soil environment, where it is further broken down by bacteria and so, that further renders it relatively clean. However, in many instances, they are no properly sized, they are not constructed properly and they are not disposed properly into the soil, so they still create a lot of problems.

Water is managed in several places through plants and other facilities, but direct draining of waste and waste water into rivers and the

sea remains a problem in several territories.

policy, by way of getting and giving support? (We're not only talking about ministers or politicians here, we're talking about the society -- the private industries, the stake holders. But the question remains…) How do we get the processes paid for? How do we write a policy that ensures that what we do supports what other economic sectors are doing? How does the waste water strategy link into tourism, planning, and all those other sectors?

Now, that is where the utilities -- who typically have (in most of the countries) the management responsible for water and waste water sectors -- how do you get them to interface or interlock more effectively with those other sectors?

Waste water is managed in several places through plants and other facilities, but direct draining of waste and waste

water into rivers and the sea remains a problem in several territories.

That is of a capacity deficit that we find exists, because the guys who are in the water utilities are mostly engineers and their job is charged with providing water to the public. But you also have a middle-ground to travel: to convince people of the kind of service that Waste Water is; what waste water is all about; and how you communicate that effectively and broaden the discussion beyond the water utilities.

There are many things that need to be done so that waste water and waste water management is regarded as something that we all share responsibility in.

So, this workshop is looking at some of those issues that can be more effectively dealt with at and by a utility level, but also considering what utilities need to do to win support of persons outside of the water utility -- the Ministries of Health and Tourism, the Private Sector Enterprises, your Business Community, your Chamber of Commerce, your Manufacturers Association, etc.

All these are all people that are using water in their enterprises. They modify the water and pollute it by throwing pollutants into it and discharging it. So, they too have a responsibility like everybody else.

Therefore, the responsibility for water, in all its forms, does not only lie with the water

WASCO’s Beausejour waste water plant handles and processes solid waste from hotels, business places and residences in Gros Islet, Rodney

Bay, Choc and surrounding areas.

utility, but with the society in general. Q. Are there any waste-water treatment plants or facilities in St. Lucia and how effective are they? A. There are a few. The main one is the Beausejour one covering the Rodney Bay area and which includes most of the major hotels, in addition to the houses that surround from South Cap Estate, Bonne Terre, Reduit Heights, Reduit Orchard and those areas around the catchment area, including Rodney Bay itself.

But there are also other processing plants and systems, one in Vieux Fort at the brewery

St. Lucia’s WASCO has for many years had an effective waste water treatment plant at Beausejour in the island’s north (near the

Beausejour Cricket Ground) that treats waste from hotels and residences, docks and private sector companies. and other private enterprises that have their own.

At Cul de Sac, Lucelec also has its own waste water treatment plant. Then there are the hotels, like Sandals with its private packaged water treatment plant. There was also one at Micoud at one time. But beyond that, most waste water is on site. When you have a private toilet, you flush

into a septic tank that has a soak-away, but once the solid waste settles in the tank, the water itself would have been “safe” to discharge into the soil environment, where it is further broken down by bacteria and so, that further renders it relatively clean.

However, in many instances, they are no properly sized, they are not constructed properly and they are not disposed properly into the soil, so they still create a lot of problems.

China is not only committed to working more closely with other na-tions to find solutions for the global water crisis, but is also willing to share its unique experiences in water man-agement and conservation, said Chen Lei, minister of water resources. “The water crisis has become a bot-tleneck for sustainable development across the globe and there needs to be concerted efforts among nations to come up with solutions,” Chen said. Chen, who led the Chinese delega-tion to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, last March , says China and the European Union will sign an agreement on sharing experi-ences on water management. “Water shortages and water-related disasters are becoming more and more serious, due to rising populations, ad-vanced urbanization and global cli-mate change,” Chen said. The forum, organized by the World Water Council (WWC) every three years, is the main international meet-ing to discuss water issues. “The water crisis is a major concern for all nations,” Chen said. The Mar-seille meeting is the first global plat-form on water issues that China is participating in as a full member after joining the WWC in 2009. “As a WWC member, China will join more international exchanges during the forum, especially on disaster con-trol and relief operations,” Chen said.

According to the minister, China and Japan will hold a ministerial roundtable during the meeting to dis-cuss solutions to water-related disas-ters.Despite the constant threat of flood and drought, China has made remark-able progress in the water sector, Chen said. The biggest achievement of success-ful water management has been the record harvests, which have ensured that nearly 95 percent of the grain needs are met from domestic sources, he said. The national grain output reached 571 million tons in 2011, an annual increase of 4.5 percent and the eighth consecutive year of growth.

Climate change has worsened in re-cent years and many parts of the globe are facing extreme weather situations. China is no exception as droughts have now become a major threat to grain security. From 2003 to 2009, the total grain loss from natural disasters was 303.35 million tons - more than four times the increase in output over the same period. During this period, the grain lost due to drought alone was 185.38 mil-lion tons, according to information provided by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. To combat this, China decided to invest 4 trillion yuan ($633 billion) on water conservation projects in the 10 years from 2011. This represents a sharp increase on the 200 billion yuan spent on the water sector in 2010, Chen said. To ensure that there is adequate funding for water conservation proj-ects, the government will utilize 10 percent of the land transaction rev-enues for farmland irrigation projects.China invested a record 345.2 billion yuan on water conservation projects in 2011, gave priority to improving the irrigation infrastructure for grain security and came up with projects to deal with drought and flood, Chen said. Irrigated land in China reached 60.33 million hectares compared with

49 million hectares in 1980, according to information provided by the Wa-ter Ministry. Irrigated land produces more than 75 percent of China’s grain output and more than 90 percent of its vegetables and economic crops. “The government will take steps to further improve water conservancy, such as increasing investment and speeding up construction,” Chen said, adding that, “such huge investment is unparalleled anywhere in the world”. More efforts have also been made to improve the water quality and the na-tional flood-control and drought-relief system, the minister said. The government has set a goal to provide safe drinking water to all rural residents by 2013. As of today, nearly 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water. Steps to repair 50,000 old and haz-ardous reservoirs will be undertaken on a priority basis, the minister said. Nearly 7,356 large and medium-sized reservoirs have already been rein-forced or rebuilt by the end of 2010. Repairs on another 5,400 small-sized reservoirs will be completed this year.Besides highlighting China’s achieve-ments in the water sector, the minister also revealed that more efforts will be taken to enhance China’s involvement in global water movements. The six-day forum in Marseille brought together more than 35,000 participants from 180 countries.

Minister says world can tap into China’s water management

Chen Lei, China’s Minister of Water Resources

Minister says world can tap into China’s water management China is not only committed to working more closely with other nations to find solutions for the global water crisis, but is also willing to share its unique experiences in water management and conservation, said Chen Lei, minister of water resources.

Chen Lei, China’s Minister of Water Resources[China Daily]

"The water crisis has become a bottleneck for sustainable development across the globe and there needs to be concerted efforts among nations to come up with solutions," Chen said.

Chen, who led the Chinese delegation to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, last March , says China and the European Union will sign an agreement on sharing experiences on water management.

"Water shortages and water-related disasters are becoming more and more serious, due to rising populations, advanced urbanization and global climate change," Chen said.

The forum, organized by the World Water Council (WWC) every three years, is the main international meeting to discuss water issues.

e-SourcePage 12 October to December 2012 | Vol. 4 No. 4

The Caribbean Water and Sew-erage Association Inc. (CAWASA Inc.), in collaboration with the Ca-ribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), as well as GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Interna-tionale Zusammenarbeit) organized a two-day workshop on “Waste-water Operations and Maintenance of Wastewater Treatment Plants” in Dominica from 26th to 27th November 2012. The Facilitator – Alphonsus Dan-iel of Daniel & Daniel Engineering, Grenada-- used a combination of Power Point presentations to lead discussions on each of the topics in plenary sessions. He invited par-ticipants to make inputs on the is-sues raised and responded to ques-tions from time to time. Emphasis was placed on experiential learn-ing and sharing of information. Participants were assigned to groups to engage in small group activities. One of the activities that

formed a critical part of the train-ing was a site visit to the Baytown Wastewater Treatment Plant. After the visit, participants commented that the plant was the most mod-ern and among the best in the re-gion. Over the two-day period, participants addressed 12 topics in separate sessions that provided an overview of wastewater opera-tions and maintenance. Among the topics discussed were: Chemical Analysis; How to alter times and processes to im-prove effluent quality; Removal of grit; Activated sludge system; Site visit elements of wastewater treat-ment and meters and their main-tenance; Understanding and iden-tifying basic design of wastewater treatment plant; Knowledge of turning sullage into reusable wa-ter; Practical design information; Effluent polishing, nitrification chart and process rising sludge, bulkins sludge, sludge disposal

and uses; Actual detailing of what is involved in the treatment pro-cess and how much control can be exercised over the entire opera-tion; Types of treatment plant and effectiveness; Basic mathemat-ics; Treatment and safety in the workplace; and Sludge treatment, wastewater disposal and reuse. Twenty-three (23) participants came from water and wastewater utilities that are members of CA-WASA as well as CEHI Member States attended the workshop. Also included were representa-tives from CEHI and the CAWA-SA Secretariat. The Secretariat was satisfied with the administrative and logistical support provided by the Human Resource De-partment of DOWASCO to facilitate the training. Participants made recommen-dations are made for follow-up activities, including that CAWA-SA should consider repeating the

course for persona pursuing the ABC certification examination. Also recommended was a fol-low-up workshop on Health and Safety for wastewater operators. It was also recommended that Managers, Heads of Department and Supervisors attached to the member utilities provide support and facilitate trainees in the appli-cation of the knowledge and skills acquired from the workshop. CAWASA Executive Direc-tor Victor Poyotte, following the workshop, said, “From all indica-tions the workshop was a resound-ing success and is likely to have a positive impact on the future implementation of the operations and maintenance programmes of member utilities.” Participants came from Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montser-rat, Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Dominica Hosted Successful Wastewater

Operations and Maintenance Workshop

Some participants at the workshops

Facilitator at Workshop – Alphonsus Daniel of Daniel & Daniel Engineering, Grenada

Participants touring Baytown Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Tour of Wastewater Treatment Plant in Roseau.